The Urn of Saint Rita
In front of the Urn, centre of devotion to Saint Rita, the prayers of all the faithful who entrust their life to the Saint of the impossible are raised. A pilgrimage destination, the Urn of 1930 contains the body of Saint Rita, placed here on May 18, 1947. The cardinal virtues – temperance, fortitude, justice and prudence – are represented on the four outer sides of the ark in which it is contained.
Exterior of the Basilica of Saint Rita
Nestling on the Sant’Agostino hill, the façade is covered with the pure white of Tivoli travertine marble. Framing the entrance portal, ten bas-reliefs immortalise the significant episodes of Rita’s life with the bees; Rita teaches her sons to pray; death of her husband; entry to the monastery; test of obedience; Rita sister gives bread to the poor; Rita receives the stigmata; the pilgrimage to Rome; the roses and figs in winter; the transit.
Salve Rita vas amoris, sponsa Christi dolorosa tu de spinis Salvatoris pulchra nasceris ut ros
Inscription on façade of the Basilica
Interior of the Basilica of Saint Rita
The interior of the Basilica of Saint Rita of Cascia, in the form of a Greek cross, consists of a central dome and four large apses.
The columns support the matroneum reserved for the prayers of the Augustinian nuns. The windows are by Armando Marrocco.
The central dome is frescoed by Luigi Montanarini: the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, stands out in the centre while all around it radiates the glory of the Augustinian saints.
In the main apse, the presbytery is adorned with bronze sculptures by Giacomo Manzù: the tabernacle, olive branch-panels, altar table, crucifix, ambo and Eucharistic lamp. The frescoes are by Luigi Filocamo.
The entrance apse is embellished with frescoes by Silvio Consadori and by the side altar of St. Joseph with the baby Jesus, created by Cesarino Vincenzi.
The fresco by Gisberto Ceracchini shines in the apse of the Assumption. The Virgin ascends to heaven surrounded by festive angels waving lilies.
The altarpiece by Giuseppe Valerio Egger depicts Our Lady of Consolation, sitting on the throne with the Child on her knees while, to the side, Saint Augustine and Saint Monica receive the belt, symbol of the Augustinian family.
The apse of Saint Rita was frescoed by Ferruccio Ferrazzi (“Saint Rita in Glory”). At the centre is the Christ Judge seated on a throne with a luminous cross at his back. At his feet, Saint Rita gently rests her head on the Saviour’s knees; humble and trusting, she intercedes for grace and mercy for her devotees.
Great pilgrimages! Priests and faithful every day! Here it is always a feast
Blessed Mother Teresa Fasce
Mother Teresa Fasce
Abbess of the Monastery for over twenty years, she was the revolutionary nun who, with all her strength, wanted to make Cascia the town we know today.
At the beginning of the 1920s, in Cascia there is only a small church dedicated to Saint Rita. Mother Fasce does not have the necessary capital, neither large nor small, for starting the Cascian revolution.
Mother Maria Teresa uses a magazine: she calls it From the Bees to the Roses. It is here that Mother Fasce launches the idea of building a new Temple. A crazy idea for a small and poor town like that of Cascia.
To find the necessary funds, Mother Fasce turns to Pope Pius XI who, in 1934, sends his technician, the engineer Monsignor Maria Spirito Chiapetta, president of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Art in Italy.
On June 20, 1937, Cardinal Enrico Gasparri lays the first stone. The church is consecrated only ten years later on May 18, 1947. Elevation to Basilica takes place on August 1, 1955, at the hands of Pius XII.